Real estate boom coming to Pembroke?

Don’t be surprised if home sales are soon on the increase in north Bryan County.

After all much of the population growth in south Bryan County over the last several years has been attributed, at least in part, to the quality of public schools in Richmond Hill. And that may well be true. Certainly for a long time, the schools in Richmond Hill have out performed the area and state averages as far as measurable academic standards are concerned.

At the same time schools in the north end of the county, particularly Bryan County High School, which failed to meet Adequate Yearly Progress goals in 2009, 2010 and 2011, and was rated as a Needs Improvement School in both 2010 and 2011, were considered by many to be a step below their counterparts in south Bryan.

However those sort perceptions, if they still exist, appear to be at best misguided, and worst just plain wrong.

Last week statistics released by the Georgia Department of Education revealed that average SAT score at Bryan County High School for 2011 increased by 109 points over the previous year. A feat Bryan County Schools Superintendant Paul Brooksher called amazing.

The average SAT score of 1,458 at Bryan County High School is now higher than the state average.

Second-year principal Dawn Hadley humbly gave credit for the jump in test results to efforts being made at all north Bryan County Schools.

And while it is nice to see someone not pat themselves on the back for any accomplishment, Hadley deserves the lion’s share of the credit. She is, after all the captain of the ship S.S. Redskin. And after all, had the scores dropped by 109 points she would have found herself on the hot seat just about as much as Joseph Hazelwood did when the Exxon Valdez he captained ran aground in Prince William Sound.

The reality is that most certainly the increase in scores resulted from the hard work, creativity, desire and dedication of the students, parents, faculty and staff of Bryan County High School. But it didn’t happen until Hadley took over and began initiating measures that sparked the improvement.

In the long run regardless of who gets the credit, it is the entire county that will benefit. Certainly the students of Bryan County High School virtue of what they will gain through the increased scores and the effort and discipline it took to achieve them, but the rest of us as well from the school showing that any sort of step down, real or perceived, comparing south to north in Bryan County as far as academic achievement goes is quickly becoming a thing of the past.

Whether this equates to a real estate boom in the Pembroke area, we don’t know. What we do know is that everyone involved should be proud and deserves congratulations.

Source: http://savannahnow.com/bryan-county-now/2012-10-04/real-estate-boom-coming-pembroke#.UG10LphlCZY